The plan for the afternoon was to take one of the boat tours of Copenhagen's canals, since our driver had reported precipitation in Sunday's forecast, and the boat ride would be unpleasant in the rain. Sunday we planned to walk up Strøget, the pedestrian boulevard, but our hotel clerk showed us that we would have to take Strøget anyway to reach the tour boat locations. The south end of Strøget is conveniently located just steps from the hotel entrance. We wormed our way through the Saturday crowd under cloudy skies, stopping occasionally for pictures. Reached the popular and colorful Nyhavn sector. Both boat tours originate there. One is more expensive and leaves more often; their less-expensive competitors operate less frequently (or so said the guidebook). We opted for the latter, as it appeared their boat was almost ready to leave. Tickets were cheap (about 8 bucks), and we were under way mere minutes after boarding, finding 3 seats together near the stern. Unfortunately, most of the speakers in the rear of the boat were not working, so it was difficult to hear our tour guide, especially with a lot of the passengers talking loudly amongst themselves. But for the most part, it was enjoyable just to watch the city go by. The tour boats were long, narrow and flat, holding about 120 passengers (6 across by 20 rows), and designed to fit under some very low bridges. Passengers didn't actually have to duck when passing under a bridge, but one could easily reach up and touch the understructure of several bridges as they slipped by overhead. The tour lasted at least an hour, taking passengers out into the harbor and along canals both in downtown Copenhagen as well as Christianshavn on the east side of the harbor. Disembarked back in Nyhavn and decided it was time for dinner.

Walking north along the Strøget, Copenhagen's pedestrian boulevard.

At several cross-streets, the Strøget widens into a plaza. Here, a musician plays for passing tourists.

Canal boats load up in colorful Nyhavn.

We selected this canal boat tour, as its departure was sooner (and it was cheaper).

Our canal boat sails slowly out of Nyhavn.

An armed fortress looms on the other side of the harbor, just past the navy yard. I think this was barracks for the sailors.

A large sailing ship moored in the harbor.

Copenhagen's distinctive opera house.

Across the water from Copenhagen sits the neighborhood of Christianshavn, replete with canals and boats and interesting buildings.

One of the more interesting structures we saw during the tour was this steeple with the spiral staircase. And yes, you can climb all those steps, if you want to.

Passengers frequently reached up to touch the underside of the low bridges we passed under. A boy in front of us readies for the next one.

We passed a variety of architectural styles on the tour. Here, sailing through a more industrial section we find the new . . .

. . . and closer to the government/financial center we find the old.

The Danes are building a bridge across the harbor, but when they run out of money, they stop. This unfinished bridge sits, waiting for more funding.

Our tour complete, we sail back along the canal into Nyhavn (which means 'new harbor,' although it's actually the old harbor now).

The entire north side of the canal is comprised of restaurants with covered outdoor seating, wedged together so that it's hard to tell where one ends and the next one begins. We started down the narrow walkway between the tables and the buildings, scanning the displayed menus until we found something we wanted to try. Our first choice, oddly enough, was a Scottish brew pub, because they had a big selection of the traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches. After being seated, our waitress informed us that the sandwiches are a lunch item and handed out the dinner menus. She also admitted that that particular restaurant was out of the top 3 dinner entrees, so we politely declined and moved next door to our second choice. We each had the local beer (Carlsberg). Jill and I split an appetizer of herring fixed two different ways (pickled and marinated), and Lauri started with a bowl of cauliflower soup. Jill had the pork stew with beets (which was more like a hash), I had the roast pork with red cabbage, and Lauri had fish cakes. We learned that dining in Copenhagen is not cheap (in contrast to what the guidebook said) and is not quick. Everyone seems to linger at their tables after eating, to talk, relax, and have another drink. We weren't in any hurry, so that was okay with us, although we were feeling the combined effects of the time change and insufficient sleep.

Back along Strøget to the hotel. Popped into the hotel bar for a nightcap. Jill and Lauri had Mexican and Irish coffees, respectively, while I had a glass of cava. Discovered when we paid the bill that the Mexican coffee was not the same price as the Irish. In fact, it was nearly double that, thanks to the 3 shots of tequila in the drink. That's what we get for ordering drinks that aren't on the menu! Hit the wall about then, so up to our rooms and to bed. I fell asleep immediately, but woke about 3 hours later, as the fireworks were going off, and wondered if the body clock was going to keep me awake all night. It didn't.